Projectile



Jan. 8, 1957 J. ROSEN BLATT PROJECTILE Filed June 28, 1954 INVENTOR. JORDAN ROSEN BLATT BY J H/s ATTORNEY United States Patent PROJECTILE Jordan Rosenblatt, Toledo, Ohio Application June 28, 1954, Serial No. 439,714

Claims. (Cl. 102-38) The present invention relates to a projectile having enhanced velocity and range, which may be used in standard artillery weapons. Although not limited thereto, the present invention has a broad application to various types of howitzer, field gun, antitank and antiaircraft guns, and recoiless rifle.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel artillery projectile which may be generally used in various types of field pieces or guns, including howitzer, field gun, antitank and antiaircraft guns, and recoiless rifies, and which may be used with standard designs, with the usual bores, chambers, breeches and breech box.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel cartridge and projectile combination in which the projectile itself, the fuse and the rotating band may be of standard construction, while the cartridge case may be designed so as to give a greater range or velocity to the projectile upon firing.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory according to one embodiment of the present invention to provide a round of ammunition in which the cartridge case adjacent the periphery thereof, where it grasps the projectile, may be tapered inwardly so that the force supplied to the projectile will include not only a straight forward longitudinal propulsion but a further intense camming action or squeezing action on the rear of the projectile.

In the preferred construction it has been found most satisfactory to provide a follower device which will have an interior recess conforming to the forwardly diverging outside taper of the rear end of the projectile and an exterior taper which will conform to the convergent taper of the interior of the end of the cartridge case. As a result, when the propellent charge is ignited, the tapers will assure a camming action and a propellent effect upon the rear of the projectile, which will greatly increase the range and velocity and give better flight characteristics.

In the preferred form the taper on the inside of the follower member is slightly less than the taper on the outside of the follower member, and the taper on the inside may vary from 1 to 3 or 4, while the taper on the outside may vary from 4 to as much as with the differences in taper between the inside and the outside of the follower member ranging from 2 to 5".

The follower member may consist of a single cup to receive the taper at the rear end of the projector, or it may consist of an outer cup, the outer cup serving to receive the tapered rear end of the projectile, and the inner cup structure serving to receive the propellent powder and telescoping of the bottom of the cartridge case.

The tapers are usually so designed as to cause a separation of the follower cone and projectile while still in the bore of the rifle or weapon and so that these elements are substantially separated on leaving the muzzle of the weapon.

Although the projectile cartridge case and follower cone may be made of standard alloys, it has been found that certain special alloys particularly adapt themselves to the extra pressures which are utilized equally to the present invention.

For example, the follower cone may consist of 1% to 3% beryllium, 0.5% to 0.3% nickel, with the balance copper for recoiless weapons. The follower cone may also have about 55% to 60% of copper and 35% to 40% of zinc, with the balance some amounts of beryllium and nickel. For the cartridge case there may be used a graphitic steel, 1.50% of carbon, 0.75% of silicon, and 0.25% of aluminum.

Essentially the taper co-action between the follower cone and the cartridge case will. give a pushing action against the length of tapered circumference of the projectile pressing it forwardly at the same time as the propellent charge has been exploded. Squeezing action of the cartridge case upon the follower cone and the follower cone upon the rear end of the projectile is desirably exerted between 10% to 50% and sometimes up to of the travel of the projectile through the bore of the weapon.

The preferred alloys of the cartridge case and the follower cone have a spring-like resilient action which will give maximum propulsion effect.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall. within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the novel round according to the present invention as adapted to a standard type of artillery piece.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the interior of the lower part of the cartridge case.

Fig. 3 is a transverse longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing the position of the projectile and follower cone immediately after ignition of the propellent charge.

Fig. 4 is a transverse longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. l of the artillery piece of the present invention as designed for a recoiless rifle.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 there is shown a cartridge case A and a projectile B with a follower cone C.

The projectile B may be of standard construction except that its rear end 10 should have a taper range from 3 to 6.

The artillery cartridge case A has a base 11, a perforated ignition tube 12 and a propellent charge 13.

The side wall 14 may be of extra thickness and of a resilient alloy.

The end portion 15 of the cartridge case is of distinctive construction in that it is of extra thickness and in that it has an inner convergent taper 16, which will be greater by 3 to 5 in the taper of the projectile portion 10.

The follower cone C will have a standard recess portion or receiver portion 17 and a rearwardly extending tapered portion 18 with an intermediate wall 19.

The wall 19 should resist the full rupturing efiect of the expanding propellent charge, indicated at 20 and 3 21 of Fig. 2, but at the same time it should not detract from the resiliency of the extending cone portions 17 and 18.

The forwardly extending cone portion 17 should fit closely between and tightly grasp the tapered base 10.

The rearwardly directed portion 18 is provided with the ridges at 22, which decrease in depth toward the Wall 19 and increase in depth toward the base 11 of the cartridge case A.

The projectile as shown in Fig. 1 appears the same and has the same exterior dimensions as a standard round. However, the alloy making up the cone C should have a spring-like character and contain small quantities of beryllium and nickel. For example, 1.30% beryllium, and about 0.10% to 0.30% of nickel.

The cartridge case alloy on the other hand should be strong enough to hold this external taper and it may be a graphitic steel alloy, which will give a lubricating effect permitting readier movement of the follower cone. Such an alloy may contain to 3% of carbon, to 1% of silicon and 0.10% to 0.50% of aluminum.

A typical alloy of this character is one containing 0.10% to 0.50% of carbon, 0.50% to 0.75% of silicon and 0.25% of aluminum.

As is indicated in Fig. 3, when the charge is ignited and expands as indicated at 20 and 21, there will be a strong forward propulsion effect, as indicated by the arrow D, with an inwardly directed compression effect, as indicated by the arrow E.

The combination effect will greatly enhance the range and velocity effect of the projectile and it will be noted that the wall 19 will be slightly compressed and bulged at and 36 as it moves forwardly in the direction D through the bore F of the rifle or tube.

The rotating band G may be of standard construction and function as may also the base 11 and fuse tube 12 of the cartridge case.

The combination forward propulsion and crushing or squeezing effect gives enhancing velocity and range characteristics to the projectile B when it leaves the muzzle.

The ridging 22 of the rear end of the follower cone C will give a springing or leverage action and also act as a seal preventing escape of propellent gases as a result of its expansion of the interior of the cartridge case wall 14.

Desirably the rear cup 18 is substantially longer by 1.3 to /2 of the forward cup 17 and the terminal diameter at 37 of the follower cone C should be greater than the diameter of the forward end 38 of the cup.

With the recoiless round, as shown in Fig. 4, the projectile M has the follower cup N with a cartridge case P, has a base with a perforated ignitor tube 51, and has a spiral base structure 52.

The propellent charge 53 is received in the space between the top 54 of the spiral structure 52 and the bottom 55 of the follower cup N.

The follower cup N is devoid of the rearwardly extending cup portion such as 18 of Figs. 1 to 4.

The projectile M has a rearwardly extending conical portion 56, which has a taper of about 5 to 10 that is greater than the taper of the portion 10 of the projectile B.

The end 57 of the follower cup N will be inside of the end 58 of the cartridge case P and desirably the end portion 59 of the cartridge case has outward interior taper at the end of the convergent taper 60.

This divergent taper 59 engages the intermediate tapered portion 60 of the projectile M which terminates just below the rotating band 62.

The double interior taper 59 and 60 of the cartridge case P, together with divergent taper 59 and the convergent taper 60, will assure the desired range and flight characteristics, which will be most satisfactorily attained.

The spring or resilient characteristics of the follower cup N is not needed in connection with a bore 63 of a recoiless rifle and the cartridge case P will be propelled to the rear and out of the breech of the recoilless rifle as the projectile M is propelled forwardly through the bore 63.

The projectile, as described, will solve the problem of greater velocity and range without change of standard design and without increase in propellent charges.

The recoilless rifle or standard recoilless piece may be operated in the usual manner and a high compression or squeezing effect will be obtained due to the convergent taper of the interior of the end of the cartridge case and its compression or squeezing action upon the projectile.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed What is claimed is:

1. In a projectile round, a cartridge case, a follower cone and a projectile telescoped together, said cartridge case having an elongated interiorly forwardly convergent tapered end sleeve portion, said projectile having a rearwardly tapered rear end portion, and said cone having a tapered cup closely fitting between the convergent sleeve portion and the projectile rear end portion.

2. In a projectile round, a cartridge case, a follower cone and a projectile telescoped together, said cartridge case having an elongated interiorly forwardly convergent tapered end sleeve portion, said projectile having a rearwardly tapered rear end portion, and said cone having a tapered cup closely fitting between the convergent sleeve portion and the projectile rear end portion, said tapered cup being compressed inwardly by the sleeve portion of the cartridge case upon forward propulsion of the cone and projectile.

3. In a projectile round, a cartridge case, a follower cone and a projectile telescoped together, said cartridge case having an elongated interiorly forwardly convergent tapered end sleeve portion, said projectile having a rearwardly tapered rear end portion, and said cone having a tapered cup closely fitting between the convergent sleeve portion and the projectile rear end portion, said follower cone being formed of a resilient spring-like metal.

4. In a projectile round, a cartridge case, a follower cone and a projectile telescoped together, said cartridge case having an elongated interiorly forwardly convergent tapered end sleeve portion, said projectile having a rearwardly tapered rear end portion, and said cone having a forwardly extending tapered cup closely fitting between the convergent sleeve portion and the projectile rear end portion, said follower cone also having a rearwardly extending cup portion, said cup portions being connected by a central compressible wall, said rearwardly extending cup portion having greater diameter and depth than said forwardly extending cup portion.

5. In a projectile round a cartridge case, a follower cone and a projectile telescoped together, said cartridge case having an elongated interiorly forwardly convergent tapered end sleeve portion, said projectile having a rearwardly tapered rear end portion having an exterior convergent taper at said rear end, and said cone having a tapered cup closely fitting between the convergent sleeve portion and the projectile rear end portion, said tapered sleeve portion having a substantially greater interior convergent taper than the exterior convergent taper of the rear end portion of the projectile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 34,950 James Apr. 15, 1862 1,973,604 Brandt Sept. 11, 1934 2,386,054 McGee Oct. 2, 1945 

